You can be a stock market genius
by Joel Greenblatt · first published 1997
75% recommend13% neutral13% critical
Why HN recommends it
Readable introduction to special situations investing, covering spinoffs, mergers, and restructurings in a clear style. Suited to beginners and those learning event-driven strategies.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"A pro reveals the secrets behind a 50 percent annual return!"--P. [4] of cover.
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Mentions per year
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…Raiders Draper, William (2011) Startup Game Graham, Benjamin and Jason Zweig (2006) Intelligent Investor, revised ed. _________ and David Dodd (2008) Security Analysis, 6E Greenblatt, Joel (1999) You Can Be a Stock Market Genius Greenwald, Kahn, Sonkin, Biema (2001) Value Investing: From Graham to Buffett and Beyond Henwood, Doug (1997) Wall Street: How It Works and for Whom Levitt, Arthur (2003) Take on the Street: How to…
on “Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?” ↗…Guide 2. How Gerge Soros Knows What He Knows 3. Investing Online For Dummies 4. Malkiel Burton - A Random Walk Down Wall Street 5. Cracking the millionaire code 6. Joel Greenblatt - You Can Be A Stock Market Genius
on “Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?” ↗…Martin and Fernando Alvarez (2002) Financial Statement Analysis, 3rd ed. Graham, Benjamin, J. Zweig, D. Dodd (2006/08) Intelligent Investor, rev ed; Security Analysis, 6th ed. Greenblatt, Joel (1999) You Can Be a Stock Market Genius Greenwald, Kahn, Sonkin, Biema (2001) Value Investing: From Graham to Buffett and Beyond Henwood, Doug (1997) Wall Street: How It Works and for Whom Levitt, Arthur (2003) Take on the Street: How to…
on “Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?” ↗I recently read You Can Be a Stock Market Genius by Joel Greenblatt and really like the style of the book and the ideas presented in it. I am learning about event driven investment, and want to read more about it. Greenblatt's book is almost 20 years…
on “Ask HN: Update for You Can Be a Stock Market Genius by Joel Greenblatt?” ↗…Nature: Why violence has declined The making of modern economics by Mark Skousen (audiobook): explains various economic ideas through telling the history of the fathers of those ideas. Investing: You can be a stock market genius by Joel Greenblatt: where to look for undervaluation The Essays of Warren Buffett by Lawrence Cunningham: Buffett's thoughts in Buffett's words, neatly categorised by topic Competition Demystified by…
on “Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?” ↗…https://emergingtrajectories.com/c/copper_mining_companies "Long term" -- we'll see, I expect to hold positions for 12-24 months. For those interested, my work above is influenced by two important books: "You Can Be a Stock Market Genius Even if You're Not Too Smart" by Joel Greenblatt and "Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction" by Philip Tetlock. The idea from Joel's writing is to look for less liquid or less popular asset…
on “Ask HN: Is anyone building automated long-term investing software?” ↗…who can genuinely beat the market. If you're asking the question in OP, you're not there yet. Go back to option 1, park your money there, and do a lot of reading. "Where Are the Customers' Yachts" and "You Can Be a Stock Market Genius" (terrible title, great book) are good places to start.
on “Ask HN: How do you buy stocks?” ↗I think publishers make authors do that. I wouldn’t read this book for years because of the silly title: “You Can Be a Stock Market Genius" https://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Stock-Market-Genius/dp/068484...
on “Genevieve Grotjan unraveled enemy codes during World War II (2018)” ↗…selling, you should look at buying. * They're special situations. Is the stock going through the process of bankruptcy, merger/acquisition, spin-off? This is the basis for books like Margin of Safety and You Can Be a Stock Market Genius. * They're complicated. Distressed debt, credit-default swaps, and other alternative investments to access by the public can be profitable if one is willing to put in the time (years) and dedication…
on “Ask HN: How did you learn about stocks and the market?” ↗